Disconnected youth

Some 18 percent of teens and young adults in California don’t have a job and are not in school — more than the national average of 17 percent, according to a report released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Disconnected youth tend to become disconnected adults, a trend that should trouble all of us. The recession has made it difficult for many youth to find jobs, a trend somewhat disguised by the relative affluence of some of these young people’s parents, who can afford to let their children live at home. The advances in the skills required for good-paying jobs have left others too poorly educated for the jobs available or unable to afford the further education the jobs would require. Others find school irrelevant and not engaging

The Casey Foundation, and Children Now, which collaborated on the report, suggest much greater emphasis on programs that link real work world experience with school.

What would you suggest for the 850,000 young people in California who are adrift? What worked for you?